Delanie Walker among top targets of 49ers’ free agents

Delanie Walker had three catches for 48 yards in the Super Bowl, but the 49ers‘ tight end did far more than serve as a pass-catcher.

Just ask Ravens safety Ed Reed.

On Frank Gore’s 6-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, Walker, the lead blocker, dived at Reed’s thighs and erased him from the play with a textbook block as Gore galloped into the end zone untouched.

The play highlighted Walker’s versatility, which has prompted Jim Harbaugh to term him the team’s Swiss Army knife. Since Harbaugh arrived in 2011, Walker has lined up at wide receiver, fullback, running back and right tackle, and he covers kickoffs.

A wide receiver in college, Walker has developed into an excellent blocker during his seven seasons in San Francisco and also established an excellent rapport with Colin Kaepernick this past season.

In Alex Smith’s nine starts, Walker had seven catches for 89 yards. In Kaepernick’s 10 starts, Walker had 19 catches for 335 yards, and Kaepernick had a 112.6 rating when targeting him.

Walker wasn’t flawless – he had a team-high 11 drops – but he’s clearly among the 49ers’ top free-agent priorities. Walker will be due for a significant raise: He earned a base salary of $1.045 million in 2012 after earning an average salary of $502,500 in his first six seasons.

As an unrestricted free agent, he finally will have an opportunity to emerge from Vernon Davis’ considerable shadow and earn a starter’s salary elsewhere. Before the season began, though, he said he wanted to stay with the 49ers, with the usual caveat: The money had to be right.

“I like playing for the 49ers, I like our system and I love the head coach,” Walker said. “So whatever I can do, or whatever the organization can do to get me here, that’s what I want to do.”

Here’s a look at the 49ers other free agents, a group that includes three starters: safety Dashon Goldson, nose guard Isaac Sopoaga and wide receiver Randy Moss:

Dashon Goldson, S

Age (Sept. 1): 28

2012 base salary: $6.2 million

Skinny: A first-team All-Pro pick, Goldson had his finest season, ranking first on the team in interceptions (three), third in passes defended (11) and fifth in tackles (109), according to team statistics. He’s earned a reputation as one of the NFL’s most ferocious tacklers and is adept at sprinting from his safety spot and providing run support.

2013 outlook: The 49ers can place the one-year franchise tag on him for the second straight year at a price of about $7.45 million. He has made it clear he wants the security of a long-term contract and has received the public backing of Harbaugh, who said, “He’s somebody that I think you reward.”

Isaac Sopoaga, NG

Age (Sept. 1): 31

2012 base salary: $3.8 million

Skinny: With offenses routinely using formations with at least three wide receivers, Sopoaga, a starter, played fewer snaps as the 49ers countered with nickel and dime defenses. According to Pro Football Focus, Sopoaga played 31 percent of the defensive snaps and didn’t distinguish himself when he was on the field: Sopoaga ranked 82nd among 85 nose guards and defensive tackles.

2013 outlook: If Sopoaga is back for a 10th season with the 49ers, it will be at a drastically reduced salary. His future with the team also figures to hinge on the free-agent status of his backup, Ricky Jean Francois.

Ricky Jean Francois, NG

Age (Sept. 1): 26

2012 base salary: $615,000

Skinny: He’s younger and more versatile than Sopoaga – and he was more than $3 million cheaper in 2012. Jean Francois will get a raise next season, but will it come from the 49ers?

2013 outlook: It will depend on how much interest Jean Francois receives on the free-agent market. With age and depth issues along the defensive line, the 49ers would like to bring him back – at the right price.

Randy Moss, WR

Age (Sept. 1): 36

2012 base salary: $1.75 million

Skinny: Without his speed and leaping ability, Moss is a decent part-time wide receiver who doesn’t relish running routes over the middle. His diminished skills are reflected on the stat sheet: 28 catches in each of his past two seasons. Off the field, he was a model teammate, by all accounts.

2013 outlook: Harbaugh has said he wants Moss back, but the wideout has expressed dissatisfaction with his role in San Francisco. If a team believes the 49ers underutilized Moss, he sounds ready to join his fifth team since 2010.

Tramaine Brock, CB

Age (Sept. 1): 25

2012 base salary: $540,000

Skinny: A special-teams dynamo, Brock also played sparingly (30 snaps) as the No. 5 cornerback. According to statistics compiled by the coaching staff, he led the 49ers in special-teams points (681).

2013 outlook: A restricted free agent, Brock is likely to return and compete for a roster spot.

Leonard Davis, G

Age (Sept. 1): 34

2012 base salary: $925,000

Skinny: The 49ers signed the three-time Pro Bowler before training camp to compete with Alex Boone at right guard. Boone won the spot and Davis, at 355 pounds, played primarily in short-yardage, jumbo packages.

2013 outlook: The 49ers are grooming young linemen Daniel Kilgore and Joe Looney. In addition, they have high hopes for practice-squad lineman Al Netter. The youth movement could push Davis aside.

Ted Ginn, WR

Age (Sept. 1): 28

2012 base salary: $1.2 million

Skinny: Even when injuries thinned the wide-receiving corps, Ginn played just 67 offensive snaps in the regular season and had two catches. One of the team’s fastest players, he still has value as a punt returner (10.2 yards a return), but he lost his kickoff-return duties last season.

2013 outlook: As a free agent coming off a knee injury last year, he failed to find a suitor willing to offer him a significant role as a wide receiver. He’ll presumably try again this spring.

Tavares Gooden, LB

Age (Sept. 1): 28

2012 base salary: $700,000

Skinny: Strictly a special-teams player, Gooden knows his role and performs it well. He ranked fifth on the team with 598 special-team points.

2013 outlook: He signed a one-year, minimum-deal contract early in free agency last year to return to the 49ers. It wouldn’t be surprising if he came back for a third season.

2013 outlook: A starter in St. Louis, Grant played capably when Willis was sidelined in 2011. He didn’t receive much interest as a restricted free agent last year, but will presumably seek another chance to start – or have a more significant role – elsewhere.

Clark Haggans, OLB

Age (Sept. 1): 36

2012 base salary: $925,000

Skinny: Haggans was signed in a pinch after season-ending injuries to outside linebackers Parys Haralson and rookie Darius Fleming, who are under contract for 2013. After starting 43 games with Arizona from 2009 through ’11, he provided insurance but was rarely used as Ahmad Brooks and Aldon Smith didn’t miss a start. Haggans logged 50 defensive snaps, including two in the postseason.

2013 forecast: Can he assume a larger role at his age? If one team believes so, Haggans will likely land elsewhere.

Darcel McBath, S

Age (Sept. 1): 27

2012 base salary: $540,000

Skinny: McBath, who played 36 defensive snaps, ranked second on the team in special-teams points (649). His most notable play came in the Super Bowl when he tackled Baltimore’s Justin Tucker a yard short of a first down on a fake field-goal try.

2013 forecast: If he’s content to play special teams on a minimum salary, the 49ers will welcome him back to compete for a job.

Section C

A commemorative section looking back at the 49ers’ run to the Super Bowl, including Al Saracevic’s column on how close they came to a sixth NFL championship.